Boxe

1860 · réf. 66827 — New York. 1860. Two Contemporary Accounts of the First "World Title" Match in Boxing A pair of special issue American newspapers offering "first-hand" reports on the famous Sayers-Heenan bareknuckle boxing match generally considered the sport's first international title match. As evidenced by these two papers contemporary reports of the fight vary wildly on the details but the outline appears to be as follows. John C. Heenan of California nicknamed the "Benicia Boy" travelled to England in early 1860 in order to enter the ring with the reigning champion of English pugilism Tom Sayers. The international nature of the contest attracted intense interest from both sides of the Atlantic despite the illegal nature of prize fighting. The fight took place on the morning of April 17 in front of a crowd of thousands at an "undisclosed location" in Farnborough Hampshire. The match was protracted and violent lasting over two hours and with both fighters sustaining serious injuries. The ultimate result is a point of debate but the most accepted version is that local police eventually managed to force their way into the ring and break up the unsanctioned event resulting in a draw. Together here are extra issues of two of the most prominent sports periodicals of the day the Spirit of the Times and the New York Clipper. Between them they present three different accounts of the day one in the Spirit and two different accounts in the Clipper. All three give a similar outline of the lead-up to the bout though differing in certain details. In effusive fashion they describe the machinations that went into organizing the illegal fight determining its location getting thousands of spectators "tickets to 'nowhere'" the forming of the ring the esteemed personages present and of course the betting odds. The round-by-round descriptions of the fight however differ in nearly every detail and betray a certain degree of wholesale fabrication. The Spirit of the Times is the most unapologetically pro-American claiming a complete victory for Heenan after a mere twenty-seven rounds. Their portrayal of the third round provides a succinct example of the colorful language used in these papers clearly meant to entertain the reader as much or more than to share truthful events: "3. Tom came up rather flushed and the gravy distilling from his damaged brow he dodged and tried his double but did not get home he tried a second time but was stopped cleverly and Heenan returned on the right ogle. This led to very heavy counters each on the larboard goggle Tom feinted and popped his left on the smeller. They got hold swung round broke away and Heenan then popped his left again on the right eye severe exchanges followed at close quarters and both were in the end down." The special issue of the Clipper tells a different story giving play-by-play details of forty-three rounds of bareknuckle boxing with round three ending in a knockdown by Heenan. At the end of the fight they claim that Sayer surrendered and was escorted out of the ring and declare "British 'Fair Play and May the Best Man Win' a Grand Humbug." The following page prints an account from The Bell which puts the fight at thirty-seven rounds ending with the police entering the ring. The rest of the issue is occupied by numerous other articles about the history and practice of boxing including the most recent "Rules of the Prize Ring" the history of "The Championship of England" from 1719 the "Duties of Seconds and Bottle Holders" and a full-page timeline of "Remarkable Occurrences in the Prize Ring" including a brief section on "Female Pugilists." A pair of rare antebellum sports reporting newspapers recording a legendary moment in the history of boxing. Old folds light foxing and staining minor edge wear. Some splitting to gutter of the Clipper which is uncut along the top edge. Both very good overall. For a detailed discussion of the Sayers-Heenan fight and its place in American culture see Elliott J. Gorn The Manly Art Ithaca NY 1986 pp.148-59. unknown